Dish-washer basket drive



May 19, 1964 DANNENMANN ETAL 3,133,547

DISH-WASHER BASKET DRIVE Filed April 16, 1962 United States Patent Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 14, 1961 8 Claims. (Cl. 134-112) The present invention relates to improvements in dishwashing machines and more particularly to a drive for a preferably basket-like crockery-holder thereof, which revolves when in operation.

Dish-washing machines with crockery baskets that revolve when in operation are known. In some, the crockery basket is rotated by jets of washing fluid directed at the crockery at an inclination to the direction of rotation. This method of driving is indeed very simple, but does not function reliably, since, with a basket that does not run easily, owing, for instance, to a gravitationally unbalanced stacking of the crockery, satisfactory driving is uncertain. In others, the basket is rotated with the help of a ring of teeth arranged on the basket and a motordriven pinion meshing therewith. crockery basket is driven by means of a worm and worm wheel.

Drives such as these which are provided with toothed wheels, are very expensive to manufacture, and, when the toothed-wheel drives are in the Washing vessel itself, are exposed to heavy wear and a high incidence of trouble, owing to the unavoidable fouling.

The present invention obviates these disadvantages by providing the crockery-holder, on its periphery, with a concentric ring, against which a motor-driven friction roller, preferably consisting of resilient material, such as india rubber, is pressed,- by spring pressure for example. The result thereby obtained is that the crockery basket of the dish-washing machine according to the invention can be driven without any trouble, the only driving members located inside the space to which the washing fluid is directed being a friction roller and the concentric ring, which is constructed as part of the crockery basket. The friction roller is preferably conical and resiliently supported axially, so that it may be pressed into driving engagement with the concentric ring of the crockery basket.

With the arrangement according to the invention it is possible to construct a mechanically rotated crockery basket in such a manner that it is readily removable from the dish-washing machine. The crockery basket may, for instance, be rotatably supported upon a swivelljng arm, the friction roller being so arranged on the wall of the washing vessel that its axis is directed approximately towards the bearing of the crockery basket. The pressure may in this case be applied to the crockery basket mounted upon such a swinging arm by means of a pressing arm, which is secured to the swinging arm, and bears against the flap or door of the dish-washing machine when in the closed position. The swinging arm may be locked in the operative position in any other manner, in such a way that it can take up the driving pressure of the friction roller.

The crockery basket may alternatively be movable out of the dish-washing machine in a straight line, upwards or sideways, in which case the axis of the conical friction roller may advantageously extend in the direction of motion of the outward and inward movement of the crockery basket.

The ring concentrically arranged'on the crockery basket may consist of a tube, known in itself, with encircling projections on its surface, in which case a steel rod or the like may be located inside the tube to reinforce it.

In still others, the

The ring may at the same time form a carrying element for the crockery basket.

The driving of the friction roller may advantageously be effected by way of a V-belt gearing from an electric motor, thereby yielding a noiseless transmission of power, substantially free from vibration.

One constructional example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows in perspective a dish-washing machine with a crockery basket set in rotation by mechanical means in accord with this invention; and

FIGURE 2 shows in section the friction-roller drive of the crockery basket according to the invention.

In FIGURE 1, a crockery basket 2 is rotatably supported in the casing 1 of the dish-Washing machine. The crockery basket is provided in its lower portion with a concentric ring 3, which, in the operative position of the dish-washing machine, comes into contact with a conical friction roller 4, and is set in rotation by the latter. As indicated above, ring 3 is preferably an annular steel rod having a coating or cover formed with an annular row of ribs extending circumferentially of the axis of the red as shown. In the embodiment illustrated, the crockery basket is removable from the casing 1 by means of a swinging arm 5, to enable it to be more easily filled with the crockery to be washed. Arm 5 is pivotally mounted in axially fixed relation upon the pivot post 5a.

The structure for removably mounting the basket 2 within casing 1 and for directing washing fluid and drying air against crockery therein is preferably that shown in our co-pending Uni-ted States application Serial No. 187,704 filed April 16, 1962, for Dish Washer based on our corresponding West German application B 64778 Ia/34c filed November 14, 1961.

The rotation axis of the friction roller 4 is directed substantially normal to the axis of rotation 6 of the crockery basket. Axis 6 is preferably parallel to the axis of post 5a. In order to ensure a satisfactory bearing of the driven concentric ring 3 against the friction drive roller 4 during operation, there is arranged in the machine, in the region of the bearing defining the basket rotation axis 6, an arm 7, against which the casing flap or door 8 of the dish-washing machine bears when in the closed condition. As shown, door 8 pivots about a substantially horizontal axis at the front of the casing between its open position as shown and its closed position. As door 8 is closed, it pushes arm 7 against the basket support bearing at axis 6 and presses ring 3 firmly against roller 4.

In FIGURE 2, the friction-roller drive according to the invention is represented in section. The friction roller 4, which is in frictional driving contact with the concentric ring 3 of the crockery basket 2, is resiliently coaxially telescopically arranged in a blind bore in hollow shaft 9, its limits of axial motion being established in pin 4a and slot 9a. Shaft 9 is rotatable in a bearing 10, which is secured in fluid tight relation through a hole in the wall of the washing vessel or casing 11 of the dish-washing machine. Fluid leakage through bearing 10 along shaft 9 is prevented by conventional seals as shown. Spring 9b, disposed in compressed condition within the blind bore of shaft 9, biases the roller 4 into driving engagement with the ring 3.

On the outer end of the hollow shaft 9 is mounted a V-belt pulley 12, which cooperates, by way of a V-belt 18, with a smaller V-belt pulley 13. This smaller V-belt pulley 13 is driven through gears 14 and 15 by an electric motor 16. The gear 14 and the V-belt pulley 13 may be integral with one another, and may advantageously be made of synthetic material, in order to ensure noiseless operation, requiring but little maintenance. The V-belt pulley 13, with the toothed wheel 14, may be mounted upon a rocking arm 17, rockable about the motor shaft, to enable the tension of the V-belt 18 to be varied.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dish-washing machine having a vessel-defining casing provided with a side opening, a rotatable basketlike crockery holder within said casing, and means mounting said crockery holder for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and for swinging movement about an axis in parallel spaced relation to said holder rotational axis to enable said holder to be swung into and out of said casing through said side opening; a drive for rotating said holder comprising a motor disposed exteriorly of said casing, a friction drive roller disposed within said casing, means mounting said friction drive roller for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the vertical axis of said holder, drive means connecting said roller to said motor through a wall of said casing, a frictional drive ring fixed to said holder coaxial with the vertical rotational axis thereof, said roller being so disposed as to be drivingly engaged by said ring when said holder is swung to a predetermined operating position in said casing, means for resiliently biasing said roller against said ring at least when said holder is in its predetermined operating position, and means to selectively retain said holder 4. The machine defined in claim 1 wherein said biasing means is a spring.

5. The machine defined in claim 1 together with a door for said casing opening and wherein said selective retaining means for said holder is operative upon closure of said door to press said ring into cngagement against said roller.

6. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein said selective retaining means is a member extending between said crockery holder mounting means and said casing door and is adapted to urge said holder drive ring into driving engagement with said roller when said door is closed.

7. The machine defined in claim 1 wherein the surface of said roller engaged by said ring is conoidal and coaxial with the roller rotation axis.

8. The machine defined in claim 1 wherein said biasing means is disposed to bias said roller axially of its rotation axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,640 Molyneux Mar. 21, 1911 1,143,217 McGrath June 15, 1915 1,435,172 Masonick Nov. 14, 1922 1,574,452 South Feb. 23, 1926 1,633,803 Ballin June 28, 1927 1,645,869 Murdoch Oct. 18, 1927 1,941,915 Rosenberger Jan. 2, 1934 2,437,968 Palotsee Mar. 16, 1948 2,687,137 Kramer et al. Aug. 24, 1954 2,838,953 Cone June 17, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,632 Australia Jan. 11, 1934 150,824 Sweden July 26, 1955 403,624 Germany ct. 4, 1924 511,151 Canada Mar. 22, 1955 

1. IN A DISH-WASHING MACHINE HAVING A VESSEL-DEFINING CASING PROVIDED WITH A SIDE OPENING, A ROTATABLE BASKETLIKE CROCKERY HOLDER WITHIN SAID CASING, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID CROCKERY HOLDER FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS AND FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO SAID HOLDER ROTATIONAL AXIS TO ENABLE SAID HOLDER TO BE SWUNG INTO AND OUT OF SAID CASING THROUGH SAID SIDE OPENING; A DRIVE FOR ROTATING SAID HOLDER COMPRISING A MOTOR DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF SAID CASING, A FRICTION DRIVE ROLLER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CASING, MEANS MOUNTING SAID FRICTION DRIVE ROLLER FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE VERTICAL AXIS 